hurricane wilma

There’s a plot of land behind the swimming pool at Deerfield Beach High where science teacher Kelly Caputo points to a cluster of trees out in a field.

“You can see five large Australian pines,” says Caputo. “And as beautiful as they are, they’re non-native — they take up a lot of space, water — and if we do get heavy winds, they’re probably going to create a lot of damage.”

Before Hurricane Wilma hit Miami 10 years ago, the tall buildings in Brickell had never had to contend with anything like the more than 100 mph winds the storm brought.

And while the buildings survived, their windows did not fare as well. Broken glass became one of lasting symbols of Wilma’s destruction.

The morning after Wilma made landfall, Santi Gabino left his apartment near Dadeland to go to work at the Four Seasons Hotel in Brickell. On the way in, he thought about picking up a cup of coffee and a donut.